After separating from the pack, world No. 1 Dustin Johnson appears on the cusp of another victory at the WGC-HSBC Champions. Here’s what You Oughta Know heading into the final round in China, where Johnson holds a six-shot advantage over Brooks Koepka:
- Johnson is making his first start of the 2017-18 season, and he has a chance to extend his streak of at least one victory in each season. That run dates back to his first career win at the 2008 Turning Stone Resort Championship and is the longest such streak on Tour.
- Johnson won the WGC-Mexico Championship as well as the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play earlier this year. With a win, he would become the first player ever to win three WGC events in a single calendar year.
- Johnson already has five career WGC wins, second only to Tiger Woods (18). He also won this event in 2013, when he won by three shots over Ian Poulter.
- Johnson’s 17-under 199 score broke the existing tournament scoring record for 54 holes, which he had previously shared along with last year’s winner, Hideki Matsuyama.
- Koepka held a share of the lead until a triple bogey on No. 8 during the third round sent him into a tailspin. He remains in search of his third career win and first since the U.S. Open in June.
- Should Koepka rally to win, it would mark the biggest final-round comeback in tournament history. Martin Kaymer erased a five-shot deficit en route to winning in 2011.
- Henrik Stenson sits alone in third place, seven shots behind Johnson. Stenson is the only player besides Johnson to break 70 in each of the first three rounds and is two months removed from a win at the Wyndham Championship.
- Justin Rose moved into a tie for fourth at 9 under after a third-round 72. Rose remains in search of his first worldwide win since earning an Olympic gold medal 14 months ago in Brazil.
- Despite a third-round 75, Kiradech Aphibarnrat (T-12) is the top Asian player through three rounds. Poom Saksansin (T-15), who got in as an alternate, carded the only bogey-free score in Round 3.
- Japan’s Shugo Imahira was disqualified after failing to show up for his 10:35 a.m. tee time because he had “mistakenly seen a wrong starting time.” Imahira will still receive unofficial, last-place money of $43,000.
Golf Channel research department contributed to these statistics.
Source: Internet
